How Old Is Feminism?

How old is Feminism? Of course, feminism, by its very definition, is an idea. When we pose questions such as this one, we refer to the actions taken to effectuate the acknowledgement of an idea, not the idea itself. Feminism: the idea that women deserve to be treated as equals to men, likely drew breath in the mind of the first woman who walked this earth. However, feminism: the actions taken to initiate gender equality, dates back to the fourteenth century and begins with a woman named Christine De Pisan. 

Christine De Pisan was a fourteenth century writer hailing from Venice, Italy (though she made a name for herself in France). Not only an accomplished literary figure, she was also a widowed mother of three who worked hard to support her family following the death of her husband. Christine published several notable works, many of which revealed her position as a feminist, one of the earliest ever recorded. Her book “Le Livre Des Trois Vertus” (The Book of the City of Ladies) spoke of the heroism of various women of her time and challenged the sexist ideals that her society perpetuated.  She also was famed for a rebuttal of Jean De Meun’s “Roman De La Rose”, which was riddled with ignorant misogyny. In this rebuttal titled “Le Débat Sur Le Roman De La Rose” she wrote, “[I]f you seek in every way to minimise my firm beliefs by your anti-feminist attacks, please recall that a small dagger or knife point can pierce a great, bulging sack and that a small fly can attack a great lion and speedily put him to flight.” Christine was a radical of her time, and an inspiration to future generations

Two hundred years later, Mexico City introduced Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz, a nun, writer, and self-taught scholar. She published numerous poems and plays centered on the topic of feminism. one of her most famous works, “Foolish Men”, is a poem which called attention to the hypocrisy of men in a society which often shifted blame to women. “You foolish men who lay the guilt on women, not seeing you're the cause of the very thing you blame;” She writes brazenly.  Though she was a member of the convent, her radical views caused a strain on her relationship with the catholic church, and caused the Bishop of Puebla to write a letter to Sor Juana imploring her to keep quiet (to which she issued a lengthy rebuttal). Her impact is still present in Hispanic communities and feminist circles today.

Moving forward about two centuries, we come to Anna J Cooper, a nineteenth century teacher, activist, and writer, one of the most distinguished in African American history. She was born into slavery and at age 66, became the fourth ever African American woman to earn a doctoral degree. She is one of the most esteemed and prominent figures in African American literary history. Her book “A Voice From the South: By a Black Woman of the South” earned her the title “Mother of Black Feminism”. In this book, Anna wrote of the significance womanhood holds in the path to racial equality. She writes, “Least of all can woman's cause afford to decry the weak. We want, then, as toilers for the universal triumph of justice and human rights, to go to our homes from this Congress demanding an entrance not through a gateway for ourselves, our race, our sex, or our sect, but a grand highway for humanity.” She was also a teacher of history, music, and English, at one of the first educational institutions for formerly enslaved Americans and fought for her place in male dominated Professional spaces. 

While we recognize the undeniable contributions of these women, we must also be cognizant of the fact that we only know as much about the past as history records will allow, and there are likely thousands of unsung heroes; women whose contributions went unrecorded or unrecognized. To assume what we know of history as the absolute and complete truth is to assume a position of naivete, and to ignore the existence and significance of the unsung heroes of feminist history is to ignore the point of feminism all together. I write of the accomplishments of these woman to enforce the belief that there will always be a place for us in this world, even if we have to make some noise and take it by force. 

Cooper, Anna Julia. A Voice from the South. by a Black Woman of the South. The Aldine Printing House, 1892.

Pisan, Christine De, and Natalie Zemon Davis. The Book of the City of Ladies. Translated by Earl Jeffrey Richards, Persea Books, 1405.

Pisan, Christine De. Les Epistres Sur Le Roman de La Rose. Translated by Gontier Col, 1402. 

Belle, Kathryn Sophia. “Anna Julia Cooper.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 31 Mar. 2015, plato.stanford.edu/entries/anna-julia-cooper/. 

“Christine de Pisan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Christine-de-Pisan. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.

Evans, Stephanie Y. “Project Muse - Black Women in the Ivory Tower, 1850–1954.” Project Muse, 2008, muse.jhu.edu/book/17450. 

“Iter Bibliography.” Iter, www.itergateway.org/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2023.

Wallach , Jennifer. “Anna Julia Cooper.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Anna-Julia-Cooper. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

“Home.” COW Latin America, 5 May 2020, cowlatinamerica.voices.wooster.edu/2020/05/05/sor-juana-ines-de-la-cruz-latin-americas-first-feminist/#:~:text=Sor%20Juana%20Inés%20de%20la%20Cruz%2C%20the%20first%20feminist%20of,of%20women%20at%20the%20time.